My conclusion on this was that Trump's lawyers most likely informed Trump's staff not to have any phone call's go to Trump from outside sources (to protect him from saying something that could be used against him later)? Just my thoughts.

I listened to the 11-min phone call between the two of them about Woodward's new book coming out. Woodward call several times to get hold of Trump before going to his publisher. I think 6 people and even some Republican Senators. So he at least tried I give him credit for that. But read the transcript and listen to the phone call.

Let me know what you think - I have no idea what's in Woodward's new book but I could guess it won't be good? Trump agree's.

Boats

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Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

It was jarring but not necessarily a surprise when John Dowd resigned from President Donald Trump‘s legal team back in March, but new details in another book about life in the Trump administration have shed some light on why Dowd left when he did.

Bob Woodward of Woodward and Bernstein fame has penned a book called Fear: Trump in the White House. It is scheduled to drop on Sept. 11. The Washington Post preview is a seemingly endless catalogue of White House staffer intrigue behind the scenes.

One of the major claims of the book is that Dowd was so against Trump doing an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller that he staged a practice session to prove Trump would perjure himself and then reenacted it in front of Mueller to show why he couldn’t be interviewed. As per the Post:

On March 5, Dowd and Trump attorney Jay Sekulow met in Mueller’s office with the special counsel and his deputy, James Quarles, where Dowd and Sekulow reenacted Trump’s January practice session.

Dowd then explained to Mueller and Quarles why he was trying to keep the president from testifying: “I’m not going to sit there and let him look like an idiot. And you publish that transcript, because everything leaks in Washington, and the guys overseas are going to say, ‘I told you he was an idiot. I told you he was a goddamn dumbbell. What are we dealing with this idiot for?’”

The subject supposedly came up again the day before Dowd submitted his resignation.

“Don’t testify. It’s either that or an orange jumpsuit,” Dowd allegedly said to Trump. Trump, on the other hand, was concerned that not testifying would look bad.

“I’ll be a real good witness,” Trump is quoted.

“You are not a good witness,” Dowd is quoted in turn. “Mr. President, I’m afraid I just can’t help you.”

It’s worth noting that none of this contradicts what Dowd said in an interview after he resigned.

Dowd said that his relationship with Mueller was more than good — it was “terrific.”

“We had a terrific relationship with Mueller — the best that I can recall in my 50 years of practice,” Dowd said. “It was terrific, completely open, people trusted each other, and we had no misunderstandings.”

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Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

There are profound civil-military implications in Bob Woodward’s account of how Defense Secretary James Mattis has handled President Donald Trump.

1. After a discussion of North Korea, “Mattis was particularly exasperated and alarmed, telling close associates that the president acted like — and had the understanding of — ‘a fifth- or sixth-grader.'”

2. Trump told Mattis in a telephone call to kill Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, in retaliation for using chemical weapons. Mattis concluded the call, then said, “We’re not going to do any of that. We’re going to be much more measured.”

3. “At a July 2017 National Security Council meeting, Trump dressed down his generals and other advisers for 25 minutes, complaining that the United States was losing.” (I actually have some sympathy with Trump on this one. I don’t think the military can explain what we are doing in Afghanistan at this point.)

4. General Kelly on Trump: “He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.”

5. Weirdly, Trump criticized his national security advisor, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, for dressing in cheap suits “like a beer salesman.” One reason McMaster dresses as he does is that he has spent his life serving his country, rather than making money. And, to be honest, he is built like a heavyweight boxer, and it is hard to find off-the-rack suits that fit that build.

6. Not strictly national security, but certainly indicative of a national emergency: Trump’s lawyer told him, “Don’t testify. It’s either that or an orange jumpsuit.” Then he resigned.
What I take away from all this is that Mattis is in a difficult position. Trump is upsetting norms of how presidents behave, some of them dating back to George Washington. In response, Mattis is straining the rules of how a defense secretary and the military treat a president, some of them also dating back to Washington.

Conclusions: We all know that Trump is damaging how the government operates. But there is more damage going on behind the scenes. And it is going to get worse before it is all over.

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Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.